No matter how many puzzle pieces a coaching program offers to help members see the big picture, that picture can fall apart if it's rattled or shaken. Your picture must have super-glue to keep the pieces together - because life does rattle and shake us! Coaches are the super-glue. They not only connect the pieces for your members and help them see the big picture, but they keep the pieces in place. What helps coaches to become this essential super-glue? Effective initial and ongoing training, which should include the following:

Quality of education: Professional coaching programs hire coaches who understand the discipline and science behind coaching. They provide many hours of on-the-job training to reinforce concepts such as motivational interviewing and social cognitive theory. And they provide ongoing training and share successful techniques as a team.
Coach mentors: New coaches ramp up faster when they are mentored by the best of the best. It's a small but significant difference between good coaching programs and great ones.
Member safety quality assurance: Wellness coaching isn't just about whether Joe worked out at the gym five days this week, or Sally stopped smoking. Today's employees are dealing with stress, depression, lack of sleep, financial pressures and any number of other problems that can spiral out of control. Your coaching program had better be equipped to handle those crises. In any given week, our coaches may encounter three to four members who display behaviors that we consider "red flags," which may signal a mental health or medical compliance crisis. A great coaching program has procedures in place to alert the appropriate mental health professionals or nurses who can make sure members with critical issues are given the right tools to cope. If your coaching program doesn't offer that safety net, you're missing an important element of member safety.

Could coaching be the cure for your wellness program?

Instant Insights /

Could coaching be the cure for your wellness program?

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